Forever Firsts
by SnowWhiteQuill
Summary: Got a secret, but can you keep it? DMxHG / HPxGW
1. Heroes and Saints

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: This collection of drabbles centers around Draco and Hermione, but I began it with this non-romance drabble for a reason. The drabbles will not be chronological and will revolve around all of my favorite characters, but they will tell a story, namely, the story of how several relationships (platonic and romantic) in the books evolve. (But the relationships will be a mix of canon/non-canon).**

**So this drabble is exactly 100 words and it is how I imagine Hermione would've felt when she was being tortured in DH. Enjoy and PLEASE REVIEW!!**

**Heroes and Saints**

The first time she doubts Harry, it is too late. She has already crumpled onto the marble floors under the crystal chandelier. She knows only of the white hot pain that ropes around her.

It whispers that the hurt will never fade.

There is no one to save her. No one to plot for her the way she had plotted for them. There is only Bellatrix, with her Crucio and her cruel laugh that echoes through the room.

Hermione Granger never opens her mouth.

_I may be buried a forgotten saint._

_But I will die a hero._


	2. Purest

The first time he saw her again, it was either under the worst of circumstances, or the best of circumstances. He hasn't quite made up his mind yet.

She looked scared yet defiant and he was so shocked by the Gryffindor trio's presence in his own home that he hadn't even been able to lie convincingly to protect her.

Bellatrix caught on anyway.

The second time he glanced at her she was already separated from her friends. Her wide, honey-colored eyes looked petrified.

"NO! TAKE ME! TAKE ME INSTEAD!" Weasley shouted. But it was not the shout that startled Draco.

It was that, for a moment, Draco Malfoy had been about yell out those exact same words.

He knew better though.

Instead, his hands inched toward his wand, but as his grey eyes met her's, Hermione Granger shook her head.

He wonders how long she has known.

Then her pale lips and tortured face under the Crucio forced him to turn away, and all he could do was hope for the best. For the both of them.

He doesn't have to hope though, because she never opens her lips.

Long after the trio escape, Draco sits by himself in his room, staring at his bandaged hands. He can see a trace of his blood underneath the white linen.

It is pure blood. Malfoy blood. It was a curse. If he had been born with her blood, or Potter's blood, or even Weasley's blood, he would not be trapped in the Manor, away from the girl he loved.

**A/N: So here it is! Both Draco and Hermione's view of Malfoy Manor in HBP is complete. Of course, I have taken some artistic liberties. Though if anyone is wondering, Hermione's chapter does not mention Draco for a reason. That will be clear later on.**


	3. Secrets of the color Green

**Disclaimer: I do not own the awesome-tastic series. **

Ginny Weasley sat down on the stone steps of the Astronomy Tower.

Subconsciously, she fingered the golden key around her neck. Its intricate carvings always soothed her at night. And tonight, she needed comfort more than ever.

_Harry was running faster and faster away. But not fast enough. He didn't see the hand reach out of the walls and he could not have avoided that stream of green light..._

_Ron dueling two Death Eaters at the same time, as more and more advanced upon him..._

_Hermione was smiling a sad smile. But she wasn't Hermione anymore; she was merely an opaque shadow. A ghost. "Ginny? Will you please keep my secret, Ginny?"_

She'd woken up, shoved her pillow into her face, and stopped screaming long enough to escape from her dormitory. She never stopped worrying about them; her true love, her brother, her best friend. The nightmares never stopped.

The details differed, from time to time. But the contents were always the same. Death, duels, flashes of green. And Secrets. Always Secrets.

Always Hermione and Secrets. It was the only part of the nightmares she couldn't figure out. She and her best friend always told each other their secrets. And Ginny always remembered them. But in her nightmares, she would always wake up before Hermione finished speaking. Or she would find out and then forget abruptly after she woke. The images would be foggy. More green. But not in the form of light. Snakes. And "Him."

Hermione would always mention "Him."

The clock chimed. Ginny was startled out of her state and gripped the key tighter.

It meant a lot to her. She'd woken up one morning with it around her neck, had seen the tiny emerald embedded onto the tip of its blade, and assumed that it was a goodbye gift from Harry. It had been the last day of his sixth year, after all.

When she asked Hermione about it, the brunette girl only smiled, put a finger on her lips, and said nothing. After that, Ginny was sure of the gift's origin.

As she returned to her dormitory, Ginny grazed her thumb gently over the tiny emerald. It was the same color as Harry's eyes.

But Ginny Weasley didn't know that emeralds and the color green could stand

for many more things.

Such as...Hermione Granger's biggest secret.

**A/N: Ok, so this is slowing evolving from a collection of drabbles into a story. With an actual plot. But if you all haven't noticed, I have been updating a whole lot more often. I think it's just easier for me to write a story in exerpt form, without having it be a continuous narration of boring details. I like it better when I get to write all the dramatic and revealing parts without having to connect everything together. =)**


	4. Secrets of the Golden Key

**Disclaimer:** **One day, if J.K. Rowling decides that she wants to adopt and wills the Harry Potter copyrights to her new kid, I might own the series. But until then, I will just have to deal.**

Luna Lovegood knew a secret.

Actually, Luna knew many secrets. She knew that Hermione no longer loved Ron. She knew that (through Ginny's fervent denials), the redhead still loved Harry. She knew that Draco Malfoy was not, is not, and would never be, a Death Eater.

Spend enough time on the sidelines and you get really good at reading people. Luna could thank her constant position as an outcast for this helpful skill and at times like these; everyone needed all the skills they could salvage.

Last year, she saw the beginnings of war, sad goodbyes, and the dwindling end of hopeful romances. But this year...this year, things were _much_ more interesting. Luna didn't like to intrude upon other people's messy affairs. Intruding led to judging, and Luna Lovegood had been judged enough times to make her hate the very existence of the word. However, there were some things you couldn't quite ignore.

Take the new secret for example- Luna couldn't help but notice the key that dangled on Ginny's neck every day. The fact that Ginny always subconsciously touched it didn't make things any better. The first time Luna saw the green stone at its tip, she was sitting with Ginny next to the lake, carefully thumbing through Hogwarts, A History. Naturally, the book reminded her of Hermione Granger. And naturally, when she thought about Hermione Granger, she could not help but be reminded of Draco Malfoy. The two had been utterly in love with each other during their sixth year after all; even if Luna was the only one smart enough to know. Thinking of Draco Malfoy led her to thinking of his house color and as Luna squint her eyes to get a better glimpse of the tiny emerald, she could not help but think of how fitting it would be if the color green was a clue to the origin of the necklace.

Luna could guess that Ginny had her own theories about its origins, but she also knew that Harry Potter would never give anything so blatantly obvious to a girl he was trying to protect. A necklace that intricate had to have some sort of charm on it and any Death Eater would be able to trace it back to him. The Boy-Who-Lived (and hopefully would keep on living) had a bounty the size of the United States over his head after all; the Dark Side would attempt to trace all of the discovered artifacts back to him.

Luna was sure that whatever spell was on the key would lead her to its procurer. She needn't have bothered if Luna didn't fear for Ginny. What if the key was sent by a Death Eater? Or a spy? So, a simple Switching Spell did the trick while Ginny was in the shower later that day.

Luna had to admit. She was impressed.

The key didn't contain a spell and it did take several tricks to unlock its secrets; but her mother had taught her to recognize certain things hidden in inanimate objects and Luna Lovegood wasn't a Ravenclaw for nothing.

The key contained memories.

Luna Switched the key back. She had a pretty good idea of what the memories were, so she did not violate the protection of the mini-pensive.

After all, the only person who could've performed such a complicated spell was off saving the world with her two best friends, and she didn't need any more trouble.

So Luna Lovegood decided to keep an eye on Hermione Granger's memories for her.

**A/N: And the plot thickens!! Any theories yet? Please Review!!**


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